There's been a lot of buzz in the research world in the last few weeks about
CoQ10. It's been shown to
help MS patients, support
endothelial function (blood flow), and
improve the health of critically ill patients.
But do you know what it is?
You may have heard about
CoQ10 on medical talk shows and such, but not many people really know what it is or what it does in the body.
So, here's the scoop...
CoQ10 is an abbreviation for coenzyme Q10, which is a nutrient similar to a vitamin that also functions as a powerful antioxidant.
It is absolutely essential for heart function and for brain function and is produced in every cell of your body (thus its chemical name ubiquinone, borrowing from the word
ubiquitous).
People take it for a variety of reasons including:
- Oxidative stress (free radical damage)
- Blood pressure issues
- Low energy
- Atherosclerosis (fat in the arteries)
- Heart muscle damage
- Removal of excess iron (excess iron can contribute to heart attacks and strokes)
- Aging
- Longevity
- Antioxidant properties
A deficiency in
CoQ10 can happen with age, if your diet is insufficient, if you're on statin drugs, if you're an athlete, or if your body uses a lot of it for various other reasons.
Now, there are two types of
CoQ10, which explains why some
CoQ10 supplements are a lot more expensive than others.
The two types are ubiquinone and
ubiquinol — ubiquinone is cheaper because it is the oxidized form of
CoQ10, which the body must metabolize and convert to
ubiquinol before it can be used.
However, especially with aging, many people have trouble making this conversion. As a result,
the cheaper ubiquinone supplements won't help them increase their cellular levels of CoQ10.
This is why
ubiquinol, though more expensive, is gaining popularity — it works more quickly in the body because it is already in a form that the body can use.
It is "pre-metabolized" if you will.
Because of this fact,
ubiquinol supplements can be taken in much lower dosages because, unlike ubiquinone, none of the nutrient is lost in potential metabolic malfunction.
In fact, we were so impressed with the stuff that we started offering it in the
Hallelujah Acres Online Store.
Have you tried it yet? What kind of results are you getting? Tell us about it!
Why do you take CoQ10?
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